The Netherlands

CONTACTS between the Netherlands and Ireland throughout the centuries receive little attention in comparison to relations between France and Ireland or Flanders and Ireland. However, as this chapter will demonstrate, there were contacts and exchanges. Although these were comparatively limited until the 20th century, they form an important ingredient in the history of the island of Ireland. The adoption of William of Orange as a potent symbol of Ulster unionism from the late 18th century was a significant factor in the unfolding Irish national question. Dutch-Irish relations strengthened significantly during the 20th century after Irish independence, but particularly after the Second World War. Irish wartime neutrality was to prove controversial in the post-war Netherlands. The Irish government's pan-European relief scheme, from which the Dutch population derived significant benefit, established a positive basis for bilateral relations and brought Dublin into contact with important Dutch political personalities who were to play an important role in the European Economic Community (EEC) in later years. Irish humanitarianism stimulated Dutch interest in Ireland to a degree and a Dutch-Irish cultural organisation was set up to promote interchange at all levels, not least the cultural and economic. The unbalanced trade relationship was a matter of concern for Irish circles, however, while the outbreak of the Troubles in Northern Ireland was understood by the liberal Netherlands as a reminder that religious toleration was not a foregone conclusion in western Europe in the latter half of the 20th century. Most significantly though, this chapter will highlight the neglected fact that The Hague was the staunchest supporter of Ireland's bid to enter the EEC after 1961, and it proved consistently helpful until Ireland achieved its objective.